April 19, 2013 6:04pm EDTApril 17, 2013 4:13pm EDTJim who? Ok, David Shaw didn't make anyone forget about Jim Harbaugh at Stanford, but Shaw has made losing Harbaugh a non-factor. That's why he's the top coach in the Pac-12, and is followed closely by UCLA's Jim Mora.

Chip Kelly was in this same spot not so long ago. A new coach, a former assistant, a guy everyone overlooked.

Then he built Oregon into a national powerhouse before walking away and leaving it as the next new coach, former assistant and a guy everyone is overlooking.

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Welcome to the world of every decision is second-guessed, Mark Helfrich. Oregon can only hope this transition is as smooth as the last.

1. David Shaw, Stanford: Here’s your post-Jim Harbaugh letdown: 23-4 record, a Pac-12 championship, a Rose Bowl championship and a lock preseason top five ranking for 2013. Were it not for a few bad breaks, Stanford would be 26-1 under Shaw. A phenomenal two-year run.

2. Mike Riley, Oregon State: Has had double-figure victories once in 12 seasons at Oregon State, but his reputation within the coaching fraternity—college and professional—is as strong as any in the game. Recruiting to Corvallis is a tough task, and the main reason Riley hasn’t produced a Pac-12 championship.

3. Jim Mora, UCLA: It took Mora one year to do what Karl Dorrell and Rick Neuheisel couldn’t do in nearly a decade: make UCLA relevant again. Mora and his staff have quickly developed players, including elite stars on both sides of the ball (QB Brett Hundley, LB Anthony Barr). The big question: Can he take advantage of USC’s slippage?

4. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona: Looking for the real Rich Rod? Check out his WVU years and his first season at Arizona. The three years at Michigan were an anomaly. When he has it rolling; when players are buying in; his teams run the spread option offense as well as anyone. Once the defense is rebuilt, Arizona will play in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

5. Mike Leach, Washington State: We’re willing to give Leach a Mulligan for the disastrous Year 1 in the Palouse. He’s still the same guy who won consistently—and at times, big—at Texas Tech. It’s hard to ignore the massive rebuilding job he has undertaken—and that it might take more than one or two years.

6. Kyle Whittingham, Utah: An intriguing spot for Whittingham. Widely considered one of the game’s best coaches, Whittingham’s Utah teams have struggled as a member of the Pac-12: 13-12, no wins vs. ranked BCS teams. The Utes’ 7-11 record vs. Pac-12 teams is another red flag. All of this despite playing in a very winnable South Division.

7. Lane Kiffin, USC: No one gets criticized like Kiffin; some deserved, some not. Like him or not, he knows how to coach quarterbacks and call plays. The problem is that he gets too focused on pinpoint problems, instead of seeing things from 30,000 feet. There’s a fine line between 6-6 and 10-2, and Kiffin is much closer to 10-2 than most think.

8. Steve Sarkisian, Washington: Some frayed nerves on Montlake were eased a bit in 2012 when the Huskies started 7-4 and were staring at a nine-win season. Then UW lost to lowly Wazzu, and then to Boise State and now there are still questions about Sarkisian’s ability to win big after three straight six-loss seasons.

9. Mike McIntyre, Colorado: Imagine this: Your first job is coaching a team that nearly had its program shut down. So McIntyre goes to San Jose State, and in three years, the Spartans go from 1-12 to 11-2. From the untenable at SJSU to the untenable at CU. If he turns around this thing, it will be a story for the ages.

10. Mark Helfrich, Oregon: A highly respected assistant, all the way back to his days as quarterbacks coach at Boise State when he worked with a staff that included offensive gurus Dirk Koetter and Dan Hawkins. Probably deserves a higher spot, based solely on ability and reputation among his peers.

11. Sonny Dykes, California: Give Dykes a ton of credit for going out of his comfort zone—the south and Texas—and taking a tough job instead of doing the safe thing and staying closer to home. He knows the Pac-12 from his days as a successful offensive coordinator at Arizona, and will run essentially the same offense as Leach.

12. Todd Graham, Arizona State: The coaching nomad held it together last season after a quick start dissolved into ugly, weekly losses. No matter what you think of him after all of his job jumping, there’s no denying that Graham wins everywhere he goes.